3rd of March 2019
This weekend we went for a research trip to Nusa Lembongan with the very special purpose of learning about coral restoration.
Firstly, why is coral restoration important? Corals have existed for about 450 million years, which is 250 million years longer than the dinosaurs. Still, corals are fragile organisms. There are numerous threats to the existence of corals. One of them is coral bleaching, which is a worldwide phenomenon, that happens when the coral gets stressed due to change of temperature. Other ways the corals can get damaged include: dropping anchors, unaware divers, dynamite fishing, constant moving of rubble coral or imbalance in the ecosystem.
Just because our name is Gili Shark Conservation, doesn’t mean we only work with sharks. We operate from a standpoint that without coral reefs, there would be no bony fish. Without bony fish, there would be no bigger bony fish. And without bigger bony fish, there would be no sharks. That’s why we were passionate to learn more about coral restoration.
A Magical Weekend In Bali
And that’s how our family of Shark Warriors ended up in Nusa Lembongan at Blue Corner Marine Research. This scientific department of Blue Corner Dive, led by Andrew Taylor, offers courses in coral restoration, which was exactly what we were looking for!
It was a weekend packed with new knowledge, incredible experiences, and motivated people. Meanwhile learning about the theory of coral restoration, we were also engaged in the actual coral restoration project. And the coral restoration project that Blue Corner Marine Research is executing is amazing! While learning by doing, we added another 16 frames with coral fragments to their existing 50 frames on the designated dive site on the north of Nusa Penida.
We are extremely excited to explore the possibilities for a coral restoration project in the Gilis and apply our new knowledge towards growing another passion project. Are you curious to read a breakdown of how the Coral Restoration Course went? Check out our blog: Coral Restoration: Our Research Trip to Nusa Lembongan.
